- drier



i Y ing of lumber,

TED sTATEs Parnu ormon- 4JAMES C.1DOZIER,IOF BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA.

Application med February 5, 1919. I Serial No. 275,177.

To all whom it may concern.' e

Be it known that I, JAMES C. Dozr'nn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baton Rouge, in the county of East Baton Rouge and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and usefullmproveinents in Driers, of which the following isa specication. y

Thisinvention relates tocertain new useful improvements in apparatus for ing, designed morel particularly for. the

analogous means being provided in the interior of the drier to direct the. flownof the hot air.

, vOne of the main objects of myV-invention is to provide a drier of this general character employing an endless conveyer system, but

'so constructed `that the var1ous compartments are separated by floors or 'other analogous means, each compartment having an opening int-he Hoor at one end, and the Hoor of the next compartmentv orwhat may be termed the ceiling of the lirst named com.

partment provided with an opening at the `opposite en'd whereby the hot air 1s caused toA circulate horizontally back and 'frth through the various compartments as it ascends tothe top. By this means the air is caused. to take a zig-zag 'or circuitous path whereby the .A material being dried is subjected' to the influence of such hot air throughout its passage through the' drier.

At alternately opposite endsv of the Iva rious compartments, I provide guide bars arranged at such a predetermined angle as to cause the material, suchfor instance as lumber, when discharged from the conveyer to strike the adjacent guide bar'before 'it at the them, that is one end of the board will not be in advance of the other end; so that the board is carried from one end to the other 1n a plane at right angles to the conveyer.

I-provide a conduit or duct for admission the air at the lower end ofthe drier, as well as a fan or' blower for forcing hot air into the lowermost compartment. Either be employed as circumstances may require.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features ythereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention, in its clearly illustrated in the accompanyin ldrawings which, with the numerals of refgerence marked thereon, form a part of this specification and in which- Specication of lLettera Patent. Patnted July 1919. i

.or both of these last named provisions may preferred form, is

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a drier constructed in accordance with my present invention;

Fig. 2- is a sectional perspective view looking at one end of the drier, the section'bein at right angles to that shown in Fig. l.

Li e parts in the different views.

Referring to the drawings l designates the drying chamber which may be of any desired flue 3 for the escape of the hot air.

Within the drying chamber or inclosure. l are a plurality of endless conveyers et arranged to move alternately in opposite dinumerals of reference indicate like dimensions, the same being closed. v top as at 2 and provided with thel rect1ons, as indicated best by the arrows in` Fig. 1. These conveyers maybe of any wellknown or preferred form adapted to ythe purpose,and each conveyer is mounted upon sprockets 5 and 6, one at each end of the v dryinlg chamber, the shafts 7 and 8` of these sproc ets being mountedin suitable bearings 9, as seen best in Fig. 2.

' In order to impart the necessary motion to the sprockets 5 and 6, and thence to the conveyers 4, I provide a main power shaft ll, secured to the drying chamber by comes into"'contact with'the conveyer'in the brackets 12, and preferably extending longi- Vnext compartment, so that when the board slides down the bar until its lowest edge comes in contact with the chain, it serves to stop the board on the conveyers square with tudinally of the chamber. pendicula'rly of the chamber, approximately at each end and adjacent the s rockets 5 and 6 respectively,

Extending per,

are two sha tsv13 and 14, l

mounted in suitable bearings.l These shafts 13 and 14 are provided with miter gears 15 and 16, meshing respectively with pinionsv 17 and 18, secured to the shaft l11. Adjacent the sprockets and 6, the shafts- 13 and Y 14 are provided with beveled gears 19 and 20, meshing with cooperating gears 21 and.

22, fixed upon the shafts 7 and 8 respectively. The gears 19 and 21 are shownl in Fig. 2, the gears 20 and 22 not being shown in that figure, but the construction will bel readily understood.

By inspection of F 1,-' it will be noted that the chamber 1 is divided into a plurality of longitudinally. extending compartments, for a purpose to be hereinafter ex-` plained. It will be evident that each compartment carries an endless .conveyein power belt 23 is applied to the power Wheel or pulley 24, fixed to the shaft 11. The gear 17 isat the left of the gear 15, -and the gear 18 at the right'of the gearl. Consequently, whenthe belt 23 rotates the wheel 24 in the direction' of the arrow, Fig. 1the shaft 13 will be rotated to the left and the shaft 7 Will also be rotated tov the left, as will be understood. It will be clear therefore that the shafts 14 and 8 will simultaneousl be turned to the right. This rotation of the shafts 7 and 8 causes a constant pull to be 'exerted on the tops of the coiiveyers 4, whether they are traveling to the left, as in the top compartment, or to the right, as in the compartment just below, etc. This construction far cilitates the utilization of the necessary iexible conveyers, such as chains, or belts, etc., keeping them tight at the top, where the material rests.

I have shown the chamber 1 divided into a plurality of compartments A, B, C, D and E. Manifestly as many compartments may be provided as are desired. 1n each com- ]artment however there is mounted, as inicated, one set of traveling endl-ess conveyers 4.

- ably-directly under the conveyors in the compartment directly above, there preferably being two sets of conveyors located in each compartment, as shown in Fig. 2.

Power is preferably applied to only one end of the eonveyer set in each compartment, and by the word set,1 include any installation embodying one or more con- 1 veyers.

in the present instance, it will be noted that, in the chamber A, power is applied at the left end, and at they right end in chamber B, etc. In each chamber, \tlie end of the conveyer remote from the point where power is applied,l is offset toward the end wall of the chamber 1, as'shown in Fig. 1.oIn other words, the power sprockets of the chambers A, C, andE are in vertical alinement on' the left, and'those f of the `chambers B, D, and F arein similar'alinement onthe right. The same is trueof the idler sprockets, or those to which the power is not applied, the idler sprockets of A, C, and E being in alinement, but offset toward the left from the plane of the power sprockets. There are only two idler sprockets -shown in alinement at the right, the sprocket 6, for the top conveyer, extending outside ofthe chamber, as described.

Each compartment is provided with a iioor, which manifestlyforms `what might be termed the roof or to of the compartment directly underneat The. compartment A is provided with a floor A', forming the'top of the compartment B, and the floor- B of the compartment B'provides a top for the compartment C, etc. At the end adjacent the powerA sprocket, each lof the floors A', B', etc., isprovided withha laterally 'ex' located in the compartmentbelow. An inspection ofyFigs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, in connection with the foregoing, should make clear the construction and disposition .of the gearings, compartments, conveyers,

Mounted adjacent and on either sideV of the sets of powen sprockets lin each comn` partment, are guide barsf 26, .it beinofundei'-, stood that,.since four power sproclkets are here described in eachl compartmentthere is a guide 'bar 26l on' either side of each set of two power sprockets, as shown in F ig. .2.

.tending opening just above the idler sprocket ment, as shown in Figi 1, it is evident that in the compartment A, material will fall from the conveycr against the bars 26, and

"slide downwardly on said bars and onto the conveyer in the compartment B, the bars causing the material to assume a straight transverse position von the conveyers. A

.similar action will take place in all lthe coinpartments until the material passes' out of the chamber on theguide lbars 27, through the opening 28 provided for this purpose.

The invention contemplates the subjection of the interior of the chamber 1 to the action of a drying' medium, such as hot air. In the accomplishment of this purpose, l have l shown the lchamber mounted onafoundation which provides a conduit G directly beneath the floor 'of' the lowermost compartment. In Ausual practice this conduit maybe made of bricks or concrete. 1

A The invention is here shown adapted for use in drying lumber. In drying lumber of f certain kinds, where only a slow circulation of air is requiredfI install steam pipes 29, 29, on the floor of the conduit, admitting air through the opening 30 at the left, as shown in Fig. l, and depending upon the natural tendency of the heated a1r to rise and pass throughthe severalcompartments in the chamber land out. through the Hue 3. In drying other kinds of lumber however,

where a more rapid circulation of the me' dium is necessary, the steam to the coils may be shut oil", and I may use a blower, so connected as to be adapted to deliver a hot blast of air into the openin thev chamber 1, throng the opening in the .ior F, at the right. The object in driving the heating medium through the full length .of the conduit is to permit the expansion andequal distribution of its heat, before it enters the lowerl compartment F.

-jFrom the foregoing it is believed that the operation of the apparatus will be clear. In the "construction hereinl shown, the conveyer in the compartment lA is moving to the left, in order to bring the lumber :r into the chamber l. It will be evident therefore'that the conveyers of compartments A, C and E, are all moving tothe left, andl those of the alter- "nate compartments, B, D and F are travel ing tothe right. The drying medium enters the chamber 1 through the opening at the right end of floor F', and travels to the left through the compartment F, and longitudinally thereof; thence throughfthe opening at the left ofthe floor- E, and travels to right through Ithecon`1partment E, and longitudinally thereof. This tortuous path of travel of the drying medium is maintained lthrough the successive compartments, untilv .it'passes out the flue 3. It will be noted that, in each compartment, the direction of travel of the drying medium is opposite to the direction of'travel of the material beingV treated'. The respective directions of travel of the drying medium and of the material,

and the relative location of the feeding opening for the material and for the medium, is of especial importance. AThe-green or untreated lumber enters the chamber from the top, and the heating medium from the bottom, in its dry form. In ascending through the several compartments the me-4 dium will gradually become more or less saturated by moistureA drawn from the material, and when it reaches the topmost conveyer the medium Will have assumed the condition of a hot vapor.- The lumber passing through the heated vapor in the upper 30, and thence into compartments will be subjected to a virtual steam bath which will tend to open the pores thereof, soA that, uponv reaching the drier medium in the lower compartments, the lumber will be in condition to be thoroughly dried from the center outwardly, thereby' preventing the unequal shrinkage, the usual. cause of seasoning cracks which greatly damage the material. The passage ofthe drying medium in a direction oppositev to the travel of the material being treated, tends to drive the medium into the opened pores ofthe wood, as will be readily understood.4 If the material and medium are traveling in the same direction the same action would not take place, as the dry me dium must, in this case, be allowed to enter with the raw material, and travel along and pass out with it. It will be noted thereflore,.with such a structure, the raw moisture-containing material would be subjected to the dry medium at the outset, and te a saturated medium immediately prior to leaving the chamber, which would defeat the object of the invention, as explained. It is important -that the material -be first subjected to a more or less saturated medium, and

thereafter to a dry medium, before it leaves,

the chamber.

-Various modifications may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, but my invention includes all suchv embodiments as fall fairly within the Scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new`is 1. A drier comprising a chamber, a plurality of endless conveyers therein, Aa partition above and below each conveyer, each partition having therein an opemng 4at one end for the passage ofthe air to the next higher compartment, said openings being alternately arranged at opposite ends of the chamber, and guide bars arranged alternately at opposite ends of the chamber, said guide bars being disposed at an angle to the travel of the conveyers and traversingthe space between each two adjacent conveyers.

l 2. A drier comprising a chamber, having a plurality of superimposed `compartments wlth'an open space in the floor at one end of each compartment to provide for continuous circulation of ascending hot air adj mitted'to the lowermost compartment, an

.endless conveyer in eachcompartment, and

inclined guidebars alternatelyy oppositely whereby the lumber is delivered in alinement' y"tioned on either side `of the ends of the lcon- 10v to theconveyer sets below, substantially as veyers in each compartment, and extending described. .Y into the compartment below, whereby the 4. A drier for lumber comprising a chamlumber is delivered from a conveyer to the ber provided With a plurali-ty of superposed guide bars, is placed in alinement thereon;

" compartments, two sets of conveyers in eachA and is delivered in alinement to the conveyer` 15 compartment, means for causing the consetbelow, substantially as described,v -veyers in each compartment to tra-vel in op- In testimony whereof I efix my si eture.

f posite directions, inclined guide bars posi-e JAMES C. DO IER. 

